Blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure that removes excess skin and/or fat from the eyelids of a patient. The surgery is most commonly performed on patients who are middle-aged or older for aesthetic reasons to reduce bagginess and wrinkles. However, the surgery can also be performed for functional reasons, such as to improve the vision of individuals whose upper eyelids have sagged into their field of vision.
To address upper eyelid laxity, the surgeon can remove a segment of skin in the upper eyelid and then attach the edges of the resulting cut tissue together to tighten the appearance of skin above the eye. In some cases, prior to closing the incision, the surgeon will also remove excess muscle and fat sitting beneath the eyelid. The surgery is generally performed under local anesthesia or light sedation, and typically takes between about one and three hours.
Good cosmetic and functional results are dependent on the location of the incision and removal of the proper amount of tissue. Symmetry is also desirable to achieve a pleasing result, hence the surgeon generally attempts to provide a similar amount of eyelid lift and smoothing on both eyes.
Conventional blepharoplasty procedures suffer from several deficiencies. For example, to achieve the desired symmetry, multiple cutting steps may be required to ensure that the appropriate amount of tissue is removed from one or both eyelids. Surgical time may also be required to compare skin removed from one eyelid to skin removed from another eyelid to determine whether the amount of skin removed from both eyelids is substantially the same. Such efforts can undesirably increase the length of the procedure. Additionally, even if significant care is taken, conventional blepharoplasty procedures can result in a lack of symmetry or uniformity between the eyes of the patient.